Midwest MU-1
| MU-1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Glider |
| National origin | United States |
| Designer | Art Schultz |
| Status | No longer in production |
| Primary user | United States Army Air Corps |
| Number built | at least 6 |
| Variants | Schultz ABC |
The Midwest MU-1 was an American single-seat, high-wing, strut-braced utility glider that was designed by Art Schultz in the 1930s.[1]
Design and development
The MU-1 was designed by Schultz prior to the Second World War and was used by the United States Army Air Corps for glider training and designated as the Midwest TG-18.[1][2]
The MU-1 was constructed with a welded steel tube fuselage and a wooden-framed wings, all covered in doped aircraft fabric covering. The wing was of 36 ft (11.0 m) span, employed a NACA 4412 airfoil and was supported by two parallel struts with jury struts. Landing gear was a fixed monowheel.[1][3]
The aircraft was type certified on 13 October 1944 and about six were completed by Midwest Sailplane and possibly also by the Motorless Flight Institute of Chicago, Illinois.[1][3]
Operational history
In 1983 Soaring Magazine reported that two MU-1s were still in existence, but in October 2015 only one was on the Federal Aviation Administration registry.[1][4]
Variants
- MU-1
- Standard model with 36 ft (11.0 m) wingspan and 172 sq ft (16.0 m2) wing area[1]
- MU-1 long-wing
- Version with a longer span, double-tapered wing of similar wing area. This model may have been a proposal only as completed examples have not been confirmed.[1]
- Schultz ABC
- Developed from the MU-1, the ABC has a longer wingspan and higher glide ratio. It won the 1937 Eaton Design Competition[1]
- TG-18
- Military designation for impressed MU-1 gliders used for glider pilot training.
Operators
Military
Specifications (MU-1)
Data from Soaring and Glider Type Certificate 16[1][3]
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
- Wing area: 172 sq ft (16.0 m2)
- Aspect ratio: 7.5:1
- Airfoil: NACA 4412
- Empty weight: 323 lb (147 kg)
- Gross weight: 513 lb (233 kg)
Performance
- Never exceed speed: 80 mph (70 kn; 129 km/h)
- Maximum glide ratio: 15:1 at 36 mph (58 km/h)
- Rate of sink: 174 ft/min (0.88 m/s) at 30 mph (48 km/h)
- Wing loading: 3 lb/sq ft (15 kg/m2)
See also
- Related lists
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Said, Bob: 1983 Sailplane Directory, Soaring Magazine, page 61, Soaring Society of America November 1983. USPS 499-920
- ↑ Aerofiles (June 2011). "Designations". Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- 1 2 3 Federal Aviation Administration (October 1944). "Type Certificate data Sheet, Midwest Sailplane" (PDF). Retrieved 23 June 2011.
- ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (20 October 2015). "Make / Model Inquiry Results". Retrieved 20 October 2015.
